Are you registered to vote? Do you have a voting plan for election day? Do you know where and how to cast your ballot? These are all questions you may have missed being asked by your professors at the beginning of class while replying to a snap or checking your email.

The final day to register to vote in Missouri is October 7th.

Gen Z will make up 10% of the eligible voters this election [1]. Your vote matters at both a national and local level. The final result in the 2000 presidential election came down to a difference of 537 votes in Florida. Your ballot could be the difference in 2020.

Let’s go through the basics:

Not sure if you are registered? Voter registration is handled by the Secretary of State for each state. Follow this link [2] and click “Voter Registration,” then choose your state and enter your name and address.

If you are from another state living here on campus you can register either here or in your home state. If you are going to vote in your district, you are eligible for an absentee ballot!

If you need to register, you can register to vote in Missouri by going to this site [3], printing out the registration card and mailing it. Registering in person is another option that doesn’t require mailing anything. All you have to do is walk a few blocks west on Central to the Midtown Library. The librarians have registration cards ready to go.

There has been a lot of talk about mail-in and absentee voting this year. With all the arguing about different ways of voting, you may be confused on what you need to do. If you are keeping your registration in your hometown, you need to request an absentee ballot. Once you receive it, you have to get it notarized and then mail it ASAP. There are free notary services provided on campus, so bring your absentee ballot to the Dean of Students’ Office.

Think you may need a reminder or a way to keep yourself accountable? Go to All In to Vote and pledge that you will vote this year [4]. Making this commitment to yourself and sharing that intention with others makes it more likely that you’ll follow through.

Ok, you’re all registered and ready to vote with your Drury address. Fast forward – It’s November 3rd. Where do you go? Our polling location is actually the Greene County Elections Center. It is located at 1126 N Boonville Ave, a five minute walk from Sunderland, west down Webster St. Bring your ID (your school ID works for this) and get ready to cast your ballot in the 2020 presidential election!

Sources:

1. https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/essay/an-early-look-at-the-2020-electorate/
2. https://www.nass.org/can-I-vote
3. https://s1.sos.mo.gov/elections/voterregistration/
4. https://allintovote.org/take-the-pledge/

Written by AJ Sharer and Dayton Doudican